Medical dressing



Feb. 16, 1932. w. M. SCHOLL MEDICAL DRESSING Filed Feb. 16, 1929 William/W. @choll.

Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES WILLIAM M. SCHOLL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MEDICAL DRESSING Application filed February 16, 1929.

This invention relates to improvements in medical dressings, and more particularly to dressings of the character which are applied to an external portion of a body over an aflected or injured part thereof, although the invention may have other and various uses, as will be apparent to one skilled in the art. In the past, many and varied dressings have been applied adhesively or otherwise to together loosened by the bending of the joint.

Especially was this true when the dressings were of the type previously prepared for use when needed. Moreover, these formerly known dressings in most cases could not be applied with suflicient or desirable neatness, since they left ragged or open edges of material exposed adjacent the borders of the dressing. Furthermore, the dressings known heretofore in many cases did not conform to a desirable extent to the surface or contour of tire body portionto which they were affixe The present invention has been designed to overcome the above-noted defects and objections in the provision of a ready-made dressing which may be easily, quickly, and neatly applied to an afi'ected portion of a body leaving no ragged edges of dressing material exposed.

The invention also seeks the rovision of a simple and quickly applicable ressing which conforms to the contour of that portion of a body to which it is attached.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a medical dressing which may be applied directly over a body joint and which will fiex with the movement of the-said joint without tending to become partially or wholly loosened.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a dressing which will adhere upon application to the surface of a body, and which is provided with openings therein Serial No. 340,562,

to provide adequate natural ventilation for the afflicted portion of the body and at the same time permit the dressing to flex with movements of the said portion without tend- I ing to become loosened.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics, and advantages of a device embodying this invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures.

The invention includes these and other features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and shown in a preferred form in the drawings, and more particularly indicated by the claims.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a human foot showing devices embodying principles of the present invention attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of a finger showing a device embodying principles of the present invention attached thereto.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the elbow region of an arm showing a device embodying principles of this invention applied directly over the elbow joint.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the elbow joint in bent position.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a device em bodying principles of the present invention by itself.

Figure 6 is a plan sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the'line VF-VI of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the structure embodied in the use of the present invention, showing the same in 2. sanitary container.

As shown on the drawings:

At the outset it is to be clearly understood that the present invention may be made in any desired sizes and shapes, for example in various standardized sizes and shapes, for use over any afflicted portions of a human or other living body.

- ciples of the present invention secured thereto adjacent the ankle region.. A second and similar dressing is shown attached over the first metatarsal head as it would be used in the case of a bunion, injured toe joint, etc. In Figure 2 there is shown a finger 11 in bent position with a dressing 1O secured directly over a joint of the finger. Another example of the use of the present invention is disclosed in Figures 3 and 4 where a dressing 10 is shown attached directly over the elbow joint of an arm 12.

As seen more clearly in Figures 5, 6, and 7 an element 10 similar to the elements 10 10", 10, and 10 includes a top sheet 13 provided with a plurality of slits 14 therethrough. This top sheet 13 may be of any desirable material and may have its entire underside or only portions thereof surfaced with an adhesive compound. .To the underside of the top sheet 13 a relatively soft pad 15 is attached, the pad being formed of any desirable material, for example felt, or folded cotton or gauze, etc. Although not absolutely necessary, it is sometimes desirable for added neatness to cover the undersurface of the pad 15 with a sheet 16 of soft material, this sheet being larger in linear dimensions than the pad, but not as large as the top sheet 13, so that adhesive margins 17 of the top sheet 13 will be left exposed for attachment to a body around the afllicted portion thereof. It will be appreciated that if the entire undersurface of the top sheet 13 is provided with the adhesive compound, the sheet of soft material 16 may or may not be used as desired, depending to some extent upon the nature of the pad 15 applied. On the other hand, if only the marginal portions of the underside of the top sheet 13 is surfaced with adhesive compound, the pad 15 may be held in proper position by means of the sheet 16, the marginal edges of the latter engaging the inner portions of the adhesive margins of the top sheet.

It is also to be appreciated that it may be found desirable in accordance with very inexpensive manufacture to run a long, continuous strip of adhesive material, attaching thereto a long, continuous strip of padding, and a long, continuous sheet of soft material 16 if so desired, and then cutting the resultant strip of dressing into individual compacts of any desired sizes. In this event, of course, only two opposed margins of adhesive material would be leftexposed for application.

Further, it is to be noted that the adhesive top sheet 13 may be provided separately from the pad 15, the latter being preferably enclosed individually in a sanitary container 18, as shown in Figure 8, in such a case.

In operation the present invention is extremely simple and very effective. The pad 15, which may of course be provided with any desired soothing or healing substance, is laid over the afflicted portion of a body and the top sheet 13 overlying the pad is attached by its adhesive margins to healthy skin or flesh aroundthe afflicted region. It will be apparent that the pad 15 removes all pressure from the sensitive or afilicted region, and the slits become widened to provide substantially elliptical openings which permit adequate natural ventilation for the afiicted area. The slits 14 also aid the dressing in conforming itself to the surface to which it is attached. If for example the dressing is to be applied over a projecting afliiction such as a bunion, carbuncle, etc., the slits will open somewhat to permit the dressing to conform exactly to the contour of the region to be treated. Ifthe dressing is applied over a joint, as shown more clearly in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the slits 14 by opening and closing permit the dressing to flex as the body member is bent or unbent at the aforesaid joint, so that there will be no tendency for the dressing to become partially or wholly loosened" by the action of the joint.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided a medical dressing which is virtually self-adhering and self-conforming to any portion of a body with which it may be placed in contact. Moreover, the dressing cannot become loosened by continued use of that portion of the body to which it is secured, and the dressing not onl properly aids in correcting the defect or in ury, but is neat in appearance, easy to use, and may be economically manufactured.

I .am aware that many changes may be made, and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this in vention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated bythe prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. An adhesive plaster for application to a finger joint or a like flexible portion of the human body and having integral members adapted for relative movement with flexing of the finger joint to avoid tension in the plaster, the said plaster comprising a sheet of I flexible material with an adhesive surface and having a plurality of parallel spaced narrow slits extending between a pair of opposed end portions of the sheet.

2. A surgical dressing comprising a sheet of flexible material with an adhesive surface, and a pad of soft material for attachment to said adhesive surface to leave opposed marginal portions of the adhesive surface uncovered, said sheet having a plurality of parallel slits extending between a pair of opposed end portions 0f\the sheet arranged presenting a plurality of substantially elliptical narrow openings when said sheet is applied over said pad.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name at Chicago, Cook county,

Illinois.

WILLIAM M. SCHOLL. 

